1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to round balers and, more particularly, to a hydraulic sequencing circuit that sequences operation of the clutch and tailgate piston and cylinder assemblies so that the tailgate is not raised until the clutch is disengaged (to drivingly disconnect the bale forming components from the source of driving power) and the clutch is not re-engaged until the tailgate is fully closed.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Some conventional round balers utilize a clutch for drivingly disconnecting at least some of the driveable components (e.g., the pickup, the bale forming mechanism, etc.) while the tailgate is raised to discharge the bale. Those ordinarily skilled in the art will appreciate that such an arrangement significantly reduces the risk of damage to the bale during its discharge from the baling chamber, permits the operator to avoid such damage without having to stop the PTO, etc. Furthermore, it is known to couple the clutch to the tailgate so that the clutch is automatically disengaged when the tailgate is raised.
However, traditional tailgate responsive clutch arrangements are often incapable of declutching the driven baler components before the tailgate is raised. Additionally, some clutch arrangements fail to assuredly declutch the driven components altogether. Even in those conventional balers that provide means for preventing raising of the tailgate before disengagement of the clutch (e.g., a sensor that senses stoppage of the bale forming components and an actuator that activates the tailgate lift only when signaled to do by the sensor), such a construction is typically expensive and complex. It is also known that a number of conventional tailgate responsive clutch arrangements do not have the durability required to withstand normal baler operations.